ARCANALOGUE: "Consider Your Relationship With The Powers That Be..."

The weird little shadow puppets of Bendito Machine will worship just about anything that falls out of the sky, and but their humanity always proves to be too great a liability for any god or demigod to withstand. This series of animated shorts by Jossie Malis confirms wordlessly what we know all too well about our civilization's lust for knowledge and power, but there is enough humor in them to keep the medicine from being too bitter. Here's the most recent installment (though the rez is far better on the main site linked above):

There were so many Hierophant-appropriate images in this short video that I had a hard time choosing just one; as the human in charge of translating the holy teachings into a language the common people can understand, he's usually pretty conspicuous. As with many popes and leaders who are only human, history might very well prove his book of law to be a book of error, but to keep civilization from descending into chaos he's got to do the best with what he's got, and for the most part the public is grateful for it. Bendito Machine points out a truth about the Hierophant that anti-establishment types will always grapple with: a god or a philosophy isn't impossible to uproot -- sometimes it's easier than you ever imagined. But as fast as one power is deposed, it's in our nature to immediately instate another in its place. As individuals we can challenge and interrupt that tendency within ourselves, but it's very rare that a whole society can make that leap together.

Even the boldest person goes through periods when the need for clear answers is too great to ignore, regardless of one's suspicion of higher powers. Like it or not, without guidance from teachers, leaders, mentors, gurus, priests, and counselors, we'd waste our lives flying in ignorant circles. We have a lot of control as to whose wisdom we accept and whose we don't, but at some point we have to swallow our pride, allow for a margin of error, and entrust our malleable selves to others' hands.

Drawing this card presents you with an opportunity to consider your relationship with the powers that be. Do you feel oppressed and rebellious? Thirsty for knowledge? Have you already been taught what to do, but are afraid or reluctant to do it? Or is it time for you to pass on what you've learned to someone a little less worldly? No one's perfect -- and participating in an orderly, organized (and yes, profoundly flawed) world might be the most radical decision you can make. [Via]